This morning greeted us with some rain, stiff limbs, and an excitement for what the Lord had in store for us for the day. Rahel, an Ambassador's staff member, presented a devotional for us that focused on discovering the meaning and source of our identity. In South Africa (and throughout much of the world), identity is easily placed in actions or a performance. For many, this comes through success in sports, a job, what others think, etc. We reflected on worldly things that we put our identity in by asking the question: "If [place source of identity here] was taken away, would you still know who you are?" I challenge you to ask yourself that question now. Who would you be without your family, friends, sport, or job? Rahel then directed our eyes towards Mark 1:11, which states, "And a voice came down from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.'" She explained that these words were spoken to Jesus BEFORE he died on the cross or performed any miracles. How crazy is that?! God was well pleased with Jesus just because of who Jesus was, not as a result of his actions. In the same way, Jesus is well pleased with us just as we are, right in this moment, before we score a goal, get a pay-raise, or cook a meal for a neighbor. Jesus delights in us. In Philippians 3:7-11, Paul also explains our true identity is not found in worldly things as he states, "I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes through God is faith." Our identity is hidden in Christ, in His death and resurrection and righteousness that was all accomplished on the cross. What a gift :)
After our devotional, we ate a packed lunch in one of the gardens at Stellenbosch University. We felt like ants. There were massive redwood trees, thick-leaved agave plants, and pond plants with leaves the size of our heads. It's amazing how wide of a variety of plants the Lord has created, each in such a specific part of the world! After exploring the forest-like garden, we headed towards Kuyasa, a nearby township.
Similar to Khayelitsha, Kuyasa is home to many local South Africans who were discriminated against during Apartheid. In the middle of this township, however, is a community center called Training for Change, which serves after-school snacks and provides after-school programs to local children (one of these programs is girls-only soccer training, something unheard of in South Africa.) Our team was split into two groups, one of which stayed at Kuyasa, the other headed to a similar training facility called Kayamundi. Each group watched part of the training session at their respective facility, then got to spend some time playing alongside the girls. Only about 12 girls could be a part of each training program (in order to allow each coach to truly get to know their players), so there were many boys and girls surrounding the field and watching. In South Africa, it is incredibly rare to find a program dedicated to girls' soccer only, so the girls loved the specific time set aside for their own training. You could tell it was more important to them that their coach wanted to spend intentional time with them, than it was for them to actually play soccer. We were struck by how much these girls loved their coach. For many of them, their coach is the only healthy male role model that they have. What joy they had on their faces when their coach praised them, cheered for them, or smiled at them during practice :) And their coach loved their excitement! We saw that this was a picture of the delight the Lord takes in us, and His desire for us to delight in Him as well.
We waved goodbye to the children of Kuyasa and drove towards the University of Cape Town for our final full scrimmage. It was amazing how quickly the township landscape transformed into the beautiful mountain-surrounded campus of UCT. What a gift it was to play on their turf field! The UCT women's team played much differently than the team we played yesterday, as they had more structure to their game and played in a similar manner to teams we face during our regular season. We scored the first goal during the third 25-minute period, which was quickly followed by a UCT goal. With only a few minutes left in the final period, Lindsay Hutton scored the winning goal for GCC, assisted by Kat Kouzelos! Apart from the win, we were so thankful for the chance to play with another South African team and allow the Lord to unite us all with the simple game of soccer. We rest tonight in the unchanging identity the Lord has provided for us through the cross, and in the hope of the many different ministries here in South Africa.
Thank you for you prayers and support throughout our journey, the Lord is using each of you to further His mission in South Africa! :) Romans 15:13
Love,
Megan Van Kirk
P.S. I love you Mom, Dad, Will, Jon, and Matt :)
After our devotional, we ate a packed lunch in one of the gardens at Stellenbosch University. We felt like ants. There were massive redwood trees, thick-leaved agave plants, and pond plants with leaves the size of our heads. It's amazing how wide of a variety of plants the Lord has created, each in such a specific part of the world! After exploring the forest-like garden, we headed towards Kuyasa, a nearby township.
Similar to Khayelitsha, Kuyasa is home to many local South Africans who were discriminated against during Apartheid. In the middle of this township, however, is a community center called Training for Change, which serves after-school snacks and provides after-school programs to local children (one of these programs is girls-only soccer training, something unheard of in South Africa.) Our team was split into two groups, one of which stayed at Kuyasa, the other headed to a similar training facility called Kayamundi. Each group watched part of the training session at their respective facility, then got to spend some time playing alongside the girls. Only about 12 girls could be a part of each training program (in order to allow each coach to truly get to know their players), so there were many boys and girls surrounding the field and watching. In South Africa, it is incredibly rare to find a program dedicated to girls' soccer only, so the girls loved the specific time set aside for their own training. You could tell it was more important to them that their coach wanted to spend intentional time with them, than it was for them to actually play soccer. We were struck by how much these girls loved their coach. For many of them, their coach is the only healthy male role model that they have. What joy they had on their faces when their coach praised them, cheered for them, or smiled at them during practice :) And their coach loved their excitement! We saw that this was a picture of the delight the Lord takes in us, and His desire for us to delight in Him as well.
We waved goodbye to the children of Kuyasa and drove towards the University of Cape Town for our final full scrimmage. It was amazing how quickly the township landscape transformed into the beautiful mountain-surrounded campus of UCT. What a gift it was to play on their turf field! The UCT women's team played much differently than the team we played yesterday, as they had more structure to their game and played in a similar manner to teams we face during our regular season. We scored the first goal during the third 25-minute period, which was quickly followed by a UCT goal. With only a few minutes left in the final period, Lindsay Hutton scored the winning goal for GCC, assisted by Kat Kouzelos! Apart from the win, we were so thankful for the chance to play with another South African team and allow the Lord to unite us all with the simple game of soccer. We rest tonight in the unchanging identity the Lord has provided for us through the cross, and in the hope of the many different ministries here in South Africa.
Thank you for you prayers and support throughout our journey, the Lord is using each of you to further His mission in South Africa! :) Romans 15:13
Love,
Megan Van Kirk
P.S. I love you Mom, Dad, Will, Jon, and Matt :)